Victorian country junior footy back, seniors can train but no games

The announcement on changes to Victoria’s Covid-19 lockdown restrictions is a mixed bag for country footy.

Today’s announcement has been good news for regional junior football.

Country football administrators have welcomed today’s announcement that junior footy may be making a return this weekend.

Acting Premier James Merlino announced today that regional restrictions are proposed to begin easing from 11.59pm Thursday night, pending confirmation after more tracing and testing.

Among the restrictions to ease would be that outdoor community sport will be permitted for children.

But the wait goes on for adult sport, with only training to be permitted for outdoor regional community sport at this stage, meaning senior leagues’ seasons remain on hold.

And leagues along the metropolitan-regional border are now faced with the issue of training being permitted for some, but not all, of their clubs.

“It probably comes back to some of the considerations that Government use around schooling and the like — it’s about equality, when you’ve got eight clubs that can return to some sort of training, in some capacity, whereas you’ve got three metro clubs that are locked down and don’t have the ability to do that,” Ballarat league’s Shane Anwyl said.

“Let’s say, for example, in three weeks’ time we’re able to return back to competition, you’ve got a number of clubs that have had three weeks’ worth of training, and whereas those other clubs have been sitting idle for some period of time. We need to allow time for them to get back up to speed.”

Another organisation with clubs on both sides of the divide, AFL Outer East, has already announced changes to its fixtures as well as cancelling this weekend’s round.

“With travel restrictions in place from Melbourne to regional Victoria, no games can proceed under current restrictions,” AFL Outer East said in a statement this afternoon.

“All club activity which includes training, Auskick centres, events/functions, school programs and all AFL Outer East governed football and netball matches will continue to be suspended during this time.”

A return date of June 19 is now being targeted, it said. Meanwhile, the stand-alone Queen’s Birthday match between Alexandra and Kinglake — two of only four senior clubs outside the metro zone — will return to its original Round 11 fixture.

“AFL Outer East will meet with all clubs next week and implement a return to play policy for the remainder of 2021. Our priority remains to play as much football and netball as possible and we will work with clubs in ensuring this occurs.”

But junior leagues were embracing the news about their competitions, with Shepparton and Districts Junior league operations manager Michael Dann labelling it “a great result”.

“Missing all bar three weeks of last year any extra games that aren’t cancelled or postponed this year are great,” he said.

“Everything going well, the kids will be back on the park, which is great.”

AFL Gippsland junior leagues operations manager Simon Whelan oversees the Traralgon, Sale, South Gippsland and Gippsland Youth Girls junior football leagues.

“Overall it is quite welcome for junior football, given we have just come off 12 months of essentially no football,” he said.

“A lot of clubs and personnel are still trying to digest the news given it’s only come out in the last hour and there is still a bit of preparation to get games up for this weekend, but overall I’d say it is quite welcome news.”

They were waiting to hear about whether there would be updates to return-to-play protocols from AFL Victoria or any other updates to check-in requirements or regulations.

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